Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Funny, when I search for Quanics on the internet I find a wastewater treatment systems manufacturer. Well, someone, at some point in the late 1970s/early 1980s was building audio gear under that name. For example, here's a Quanics 218A active crossover.

The fixed crossover point of 500 hz pretty much says all it has to say. I'm hoping they traded user adjustment off for quality of filter. I won't be too hard on them though (can you even kick a ghost?) as it appears as if crossover point is adjustable via swapping out plug in modules. Or at least would be, were there plug in modules available.

Dig the logo.

Gutshot. I've made a mental note to crack the shell on another active crossover from that general era for comparison, to sum it: this build quality puts it to shame. Installer adjustments are available on the interior (note the sneeze guard over the power section), which I find really cool. One can only conclude that the customers were invited, nay, encouraged to crack the unit open and ogle the guts. Good on you, Quanics, good on you. The design philosophies requiring responsibility of the end operator are always the first to go, and no, we're not a stronger people because of it.

Bit of a close up on actual filter module (that I am betting would be simple enough to DIY should I decide my life isn't complete without say, a 606 hz crossover point; which is honestly probably not going to happen). Level range selection is an interesting touch.

I guess I need to dive into the Sound Workshop crossover for a little comparison now, as I recall it needs a channel output addressed, so perhaps I can actually accomplish something as well!